A Conversation
with M.M.
McAllen,
author of Maximilian and Carlota: Europe's Last Empire in
Mexico. Recorded
in the Twig Book Shop in San Antonio, Texas in October 2015 and
posted in January 2016.(APPROX
1 HOUR AND 22 MINUTES)

A Conversation
with Rose
Mary Salum,
founding editor of Literal Magazine and Literal Publishing
and the anthology Delta de las arenas: cuentos árabes,
cuentos judíos, a collection of Arab and Jewish stories
from Latin America. Recorded
in Mexico City in November 2013 and posted in January 2015.(APPROX
42 MINUTES)

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
# 15 Gifts of the Ancient Ones: Greg Williams on the Rock Art
of the Lower Pecos CanyonlandsThough the Rock Art Foundation's
tours and website have been spreading the word, it still seems
a well-kept secret that some of the most spectacular rock art
in the world is tucked into the nooks and crannies of the Lower
Pecos Canyonlands of Far West Texas (and into Coahuila, Mexico).
I had the privilege of being able to view some it, specifically,
the rock art at Meyers Springs, through the tour offered by the
Rock Art Foundation. My interview with Greg Williams, Executive
Director of the Rock Art Foundation, was recorded in the Meyers
Springs Ranch house kitchen, just after that tour. (APPROX
1 HOUR AND 6 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
# 14 Over Burro Mesa / The Kickapoo AmbassadorsA hike
over Burro Mesa into Apache Canyon in the Big Bend National Park,
plus the reading of a brief translation from the memoir of Maximilian's
gardener, Wilhelm Knechtel, about the Kickapoo ambassadors in
1865.(APPROX
15 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#12 Dallas Baxter, This Precious PlaceInterview
with Dallas Baxter, founding editor of Cenizo Journal (which
now has new owners), recorded in Alpine, Texas in February 2013.
The wonders and challenges of living in the Big Bend, and founding
and managing a successful regional print publication in the digital
age. (APPROX
48 MINUTES).

Marfa Mondays
Podcasting Project
#10 A Visit to Swan House (C.M. Mayo Reads for PEN San Miguel)C.M. Mayo reading live
for PEN San Miguel
in the Teatro Angela Peralta, San Miguel de Allende, Mexico,
on January 29, 2013. After a brief consideration of literary
travel writing in the digital age, Mayo reads from her article
in the winter 2013 issue of Cenizo Journal, "A Visit
to Swan House," about the Presidio, Texas teaching house
of adobe visionary Simone Swan, which features Nubian vaults,
contructed by means of an ancient technique rescued by Swan's
mentor, the renowned Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy. (APPROX
30 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#9 Mary Baxter, Painting the Big BendMary Baxter came to Marfa
years ago for the horses and cattle business and stayed to paint
the sky-haunted landscapes. Recently returned to Marfa after
a decade in (relatively nearby) Marathon, Texas, Mary Baxter
talked to C.M. Mayo in her sun-filled studio in October 2012.
(APPROX
40 MINUTES).

C.M. Mayo introduces
her new ebook, Podcasting for Writers (Dancing Chiva,
2012)"Naples Dave" and others from
fiverr.com are the big voices, along with music clips from istockaudio.com
uniquetracks.com, plus silly sound effects, and more. C.M. Mayo
recorded her portion at ye olde writing desk (any snoring sounds
are from the dog) and edited the whole shebang on her laptop
using Apple's GarageBand. As Mayo says, "If I can podcast,
so can you." (APPROX
16 MINUTES).

A Conversation
with Sergio
Troncoso,
author of the novel From This Wicked Patch of Dust and
Crossing Borders: Personal EssaysSergio Troncoso on
writing his novel From This Wicked Patch of Dust; El Paso,
family, reading and visual culture, writing literary novels,
blogging, New York publishing, Chicano literature, US-Mexico
border history, and 9/11. Recorded by Skype, summer 2012 (APPROX 1 HOUR).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#7 We Have Seen the LightsC.M.
Mayo recounts her experiences with the bizarre and mysterious
phenomena of the Marfa Lights, comments on some of the literature
and research, and interviews other witnesses.Recorded in July 2012.(APPROX
30 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#6 Marfa's Moonlight GemstonesAn interview with Paul
Graybeal, owner of Marfa's Moonlight Gemstones. It was no exaggeration
for historian Walter Prescott Webb to describe the Big Bend region
as "an earthwreck in which a great section of country was
shaken down, turned over, blown up, and set on fire." In
short, there is ample evidence of millions of years of dramatic
geological activity, with the craggiest of mountains to rocks
of all kinds, from mammoth piles of boulders to pebbles. In this
interview with Paul Graybeal, learn about agates, thundereggs,
and more. Visit Paul Graybeal's Moonlight Gemstones at www.moonlightgemstones.com;
and watch the etsy.com video, "There's
No Place Like Here: Marfa, Texas" in which Graybeal
makes a brief appearance. Recorded in May 2012, posted for June,
2012.(APPROX
48 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#5 Cynthia McAlister: The Buzz on the BeesAn interview with Cynthia
McAlister about the bees of West Texas, both imported and native
to the northern Chihuahuan Desert. McAlister holds a masters
degree in biology from Sul Ross University and is the author
of several articles on bees, among them,"Our Native West
Texas Bees," which appeared in the winter 2012 issue of
Cenizo Journal. Recorded in late January 2012, posted
on May 21, 2012.(APPROX
1 HOUR AND 6 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#4 Avram Dumitrescu, An Artist in AlpineAn interview with Avram Dumitrescu, an artist
and illustrator whose paintings have been featured in "Marfans:
Art from the Plateau" at the Nancy Fyfe Cardozier Gallery
in Odessa, and also showcased in Cenizo Journal. A native
of the Channel islands and raised in Belfast, he earned a bachelor's
degree and Masters in Applied Arts from the University of Ulster
at Belfast. He is married to journalist Megan Wilde. For more
about Dumitrescu, and to view his portfolio, visit www.onlineavram.com.
Recorded in late January 2012, posted on April 16, 2012. (APPROX
36 MINUTES).

A Conversation
with Michael
K. Schuessler,
author of the biographies of Guadalupe (Pita) Amor and Elena
Poniatowska, and editor of Alma Reed's long-lost autobiography,
Peregrina: Love and Death in MexicoMichael K. Schuessler
on Mexico's incomparable poet Guadalupe (Pita) Amor; her neice,
Mexico's acclaimed novelist and journalist Elena Poniatowska;
the baroque literary prodigy Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz;
and the great friend of Mexico, the adventurous and passionate
journalist Alma Reed, whose autobiographya work vital to
early 20th century Yucatecan history Schuessler rescued
from an abandoned closet. Recorded in Mexico City on March 8,
2012. (APPROX
1 HOUR AND 7 MINUTES).

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#3 Mary Bones on the Lost Art ColonyAn interview with Mary
Bones, curator of "The Lost Colony: Texas Regionalist Painters,"
at the Museum of the Big Bend, Sul Ross University. Alpine, Texas.
Recorded in late January 2012 in the gallery.Read
more at the main Marfa Mondays page.
Posted on March 19, 2012. (APPROX 35 MINUTES).

A Conversation
with Edward
Swift,
author of My Grandfather's Finger and The Daughter
of the Doctor and the SaintEdward Swift is an
artist and the author of the memoir My Grandfather's Finger,
in addition to several acclaimed novels, most recently, The
Daughter of the Doctor and the Saint. Recorded in his studio
in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, the conversation ranges from
the Orphic journey to Texas's Big Thicket, Marguerite Young,
Proust, Greenwich Village, and the wonders of Mexico's little-known
Sierra Gorda. Recorded on Feb 22, 2012.(APPROX 1 HOUR and
15 MINUTES).

C.M. Mayo Discusses Francisco
I. Madero's Secret Book of 1911, Spiritist
ManualRecorded at the PEN
/ Sol Literary Magazine
Reading Series event of February 22, 2012 in San Miguel de Allende,
Mexico. C.M. Mayo introduces and discusses her translation
the first into English of Francisco
I. Madero's secret book of 1911, Spiritist
Manual. Madero was the leader of Mexico's 1910 Revolution
and President of Mexico from 1911-1913. (Note: this is an abbreviated
version of the longer podcast, listed directly below, with fellow
author Gerard Helferich, who read from his book, Stone of
Kings.) (APPROX
26 MINUTES)

Note: In this talk I
mention that I had not been able to find a copy of the original
Spanish edition, Manual Espírita, anywhere on-line.
Shortly after I posted this podcast I found
this free PDF download available from a Mexican government
website.  C.M. Mayo

Note: In this talk I
mention that I had not been able to find a copy of the original
Spanish edition, Manual Espírita, anywhere on-line.
Shortly after I posted this podcast I found
this free PDF download available from a Mexican government
website.  C.M. Mayo

Marfa
Mondays Podcasting Project
#2 Charles Angell in the Big BendAn interview with Charles
Angell, owner of Angell Expeditions, on the Big Bend: how he
got here, the rivers, the birds, geology, archaeology, rock art,
movies, and much more. Read more at the main Marfa
Mondays page. Posted on February 20, 2012.(APPROX 46 MINUTES).

A Conversation with Sara
Mansfield Taber, author of Born Under an Assumed Name:
The Memoir of a Cold War Spy's DaughterC.M. Mayo talks with
Sara Mansfield Taber, author of the memoir Born Under an Assumed
Name. For Taber, growing up in Taiwan, Japan, Washington
DC, the Netherlands, and Borneo was tough as well as exotic,
and she found the experience even more unsettling because, as
she learned at fifteen, she was the daughter of a covert CIA
agent. In this lyrical memoir, Taber captures the painful journey
as she and her adored father struggle to understand
who they are and what it means to be an American. The conversation
ranges from her father's work in Asia, including his daring rescue
of over a thousand Vietnamese after the fall of Vietnam to the
Vietcong, and his disenchantment with the agency while working
in Germany; Taber's childhood in Taiwan, highschool years in
Washington DC during the Vietnam War; her previous books, including
Bread of Three Rivers and Dusk on the Campo; other
travel writers, reading as a writer; writing practice, and teaching
writing. Recorded in December 2011.(APPROX 53 MINUTES).

Ten
Tips to Help You Get the Most Out of Your Writing WorkshopEverything I wish I'd
known, ayyy, 20 + years ago.(APPROX
8 1/2 MINUTES).

A Conversation with Solveig
Eggerz, author of the novel Seal WomanC.M. Mayo talks with
Solveig Eggerz, author of the fiercely poetic novel Seal Woman.
Inspired by the Icelandic fairytale of the seal woman and the
true story of some 300 German war widows brought to Iceland to
marry and work on the remote farms, Seal Woman has been
widely praised and translated into both Hebrew and Icelandic.
The conversation ranges from the author's unusual background
(from Iceland to England to Germany to Alexandria, Virginia),
Iceland's book culture, fairytales, advice for writers, and more.
Recorded in November 2011.(APPROX 1 HOUR AND
7 MINUTES).

How
to Break a Writing BlockC.M. Mayo on the power
on the five minute writing exercise. The end of this podcast
offers an exercise so get out your pen and paper. (For
more exercises, visit "Giant Golden Buddha & 364 More
5 Minute Writing Exercises.) (APPROX 11 MINUTES)

Please note that on iTunes the timing is only 7 minutes, so if
you're doing the writing exercise, best to listen on podomatic
(the button to the left).

Techniques
of Fiction: The Number One Technique in the Supersonic OverviewFrom C.M. Mayo's "Techniques
of Fiction" workshop: the number one technique. An explanation
with examples, plus a nuggest of advice from Chekhov. (For C.M.
Mayo's upcoming workshops, and for many other resources for writers,
click here.)(APPROX 8 MINUTES).

A Traveler in Mexico: A Rendezvous
with Writer Rosemary
SullivanA reading of C.M. Mayo's article
originally published in Inside
Mexico, March 2009, with the author of Villa Air-Bel:
World War II, Escape, and House in Marseilles.(APPROX 10 MINUTOS).

The
Arc of Writerly ActionFrom a panel discussion
on writing historical fiction at the American Independent Writers
Association Conference, held at the Writer's Center (near Washington
DC), June 2011.(APPROX
8 MINUTES).

PEN
Writers Aloud: C.M. Mayo and The
Last Prince of the Mexican EmpireC.M. Mayo reads from and discusses
her novel
based on the true story. Recorded January 19, 2011 in the Biblioteca,
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.(APPROX
1 HOUR AND 30 MINUTES).

Haunted
Historical Fiction: The Curious Coincidences Concerning Senator
Claiborne Pell's MansionC.M. Mayo reads her blog
post for "Hist Fic Chick" Blog, October 15, 2010, about
writing The
Last Prince of the Mexican Empire. How thin in the veil
between our world and the next?(APPROX
7 MINUTES).

12
Tips to Help You Hang in There and Finish Your NovelC.M. Mayo reads the blog
post based on a talk for the Writer's Center's First Friday lecture
series in Leesburg, VA.(APPROX 12 MINUTES).

The Writing
Life: A Report from the Field
A panel discussion at the Artlantic Festival at the Writers Center,
May 22, 2010, with Yours Truly, David Taylor, Alan Elsner, Kevin
Quirk, and moderator Jessie Seigal. (APPROX
1 HOUR AND 16 MINUTES).

C.M.
Mayo at the Library of CongressA presentation of the
the novel, The
Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, and an overview of
the author's research in the various archives in the Library
of Congress, among them, the papers of the Iturbide family, the
Emperor Iturbide, and the circa 1920 copies of a substantial
portion of the Kaiser Maximilian von Mexiko archive in Vienna.
The lecture was sponsored by the Hispanic Division of the Library
of Congress, which is the center for the study of the cultures
and societies of Latin America, the Caribbean, the Iberian Peninsula
and the Spanish Borderlands, and other areas with Spanish and
Portuguese influence. Recorded live July 20, 2009.(APPROX
1 HOUR).

C.M.
Mayo at the Historical Society of Washington DCA presentation of the
the novel, The
Last Prince of the Mexican Empire, with special emphasis
on Washington DC history (notably Georgetown and Rosedale,
the historical estate in Cleveland Park) and an overview of the
author's research in the Historical Society of Washington DC.
Recorded live October 18, 2009.(APPROX 1 HOUR
AND 20 MINUTES).

Listen in anytime! The hosting service for
my podcasts is podomatic.com;
the RSS feed from that goes to iTunes
and yes, they are free.

Get the NewsletterA free, brief, and informative
update by e-mail covering my booksignings, lectures, podcasts,
videos, writing workshops, any new publications, plus a compendium
of the best from my blogs, "Madam Mayo" and "Maximilian
~ Carlota."